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HeidiBears Dec 4, 2011

Hi everyone!!! I just have a quick question. I am in the process of making a very small bear with a needle felted face and I just wanted to know if theres anything out there that i can put on the felt once its done to keep it from getting damaged ? I felted it pretty hard.. but I just want to make sure that this bear lasts for a long time. Thank you for your input!!  :hug:

desertmountainbear Dec 5, 2011

I will sometimes use a course bristled paint brush to tap in some hot water and then blow dry it.  It will make the felting tighten up and get even firmer.  I use ModPodge on my noses but even diluted it will make a white haze over everything so I would not recommend that.  ( I always follow up with paint) I would think that even very diluted white glue would do the same, but you could try that on a scrap of some felted wool.

Joanne

HeidiBears Dec 5, 2011

Thank you Joanne for all the suggestions!  :hug: The hot water/blow dryer sounds like a good idea. I think I might give that a try and see how it works out.
I went to the craft store the other day to look for modge podge but there was about 20 differnet types, I couldn't decide so I didn't get any. Is there a specific type you find that works best?

desertmountainbear Dec 5, 2011

I use matt.  I do not like the nose to shine.  I sand it anyway in between coats, and that would knock off the shine, but at the end after all the painting I use a very small amount on  dry brush to seal the nose.

Joanne

1 user likes this: HeidiBears

kellydean Dec 5, 2011

I've never done it, but I wonder about using Drizt fray check, the clear stuff in the blue-printed bottle.  it doesn't show up on most fabrics - of course, it would also make it impossible to brush or fluff up and you'd have to certain you were pleased with your needlefelting before applying. . . however, if you've felted tightly enough, you shouldn't need any type of coating on the face itself

2 users like this: desertmountainbear, HeidiBears

tcfolk Dec 5, 2011

I use a watered down matte water based varnish.  Does't shine, does't get white and is not stiff.  I do about 3 parts water to 1 part varnish and kind of gently dab it on.  Afterword, when it is dry, I trim any "strays" if necessary. I do this more for protection against dirt and to seal the colors, as I also felt very firmly. I've always let it air dry but next time I will try the blow dryer.

1 user likes this: HeidiBears

HeidiBears Dec 6, 2011

Thank you everyone for your good advice, it was all very helpful!! I finally finished the face tonight and blow dryed it on a low setting. So far so good!  :dance:  I'll post some pictures once hes all done!